Rubalcaba had warned that the conservatives would cut into public health and education, the social programs which he said the Socialist party would fight to preserve, despite the economic crisis.About 35 million Spaniards are eligible to vote, of whom the government claims 1.5 million are first-time potential voters, having turned 18 since the last general elections in 2008.The economic protests across Spain during the past six months have been fueled by the young -- the so called 'indignants' -- but it was not clear how much impact the protesters had on the results Sunday.Esteban Guerrero, a university student in his last year of journalism studies and who has been active in the protests, said: "I think it's necessary to vote, but that's not enough. People feel the elections won't change the situation. They won't stop the cutbacks."Guerrero, 25, sees his own prospects of getting a job after college as bleak. "I think there's a pent-up rage. The workers and young people of this country are fed up," Guerrero said. "It's been years of frustration, over cutbacks and lower salaries."